one shit wonder - amazing acts that somehow created one of the biggest duds in history

Definitely an extreme minority opinion: I was a rabid R.E.M. fan who hated "Losing My Religion" (and then "Orange Krush"). I did love a few singles after that, though.

I hate LMR and most of its parent album, but “Orange Crush” is brilliant (and came before LMR).

I want to say this but obviously not exactly a singles band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlJPqRs0ZLM

fp'd

still dying at that Hollies song upthread.

it goes to prove pop hooks in one brand of popular music don't necessarily map well to others, even though there were definitely lots of non-disco acts successfully navigating disco waters in the 70s (some, like the Bee Gees, deciding to stay there for good).

Leonard Cohen – 'Jazz Police'

big ballad turds in the 90s alt rock punchbowl:
Soul Asylum "Runaway Train"
REM "Everybody Hurts"
Guided by Voices "Hold on Hope"

Performing a song titled "Wiggle That Wotsit" is already a crime against humanity no matter how good the song might be.

The first Lou Reed song I ever heard (on MTV, no less) was "I Love You, Suzanne"... not the worst song in the world, I guess, but also not exactly representative of his appeal (as I would later come to know it).

I feel like there's at least one example out there of an artist releasing a first single that had such a bad reception that they ended up not putting it on an album.

The Avalanches - Frankie Sinatra

Ebony & Ivory - Stevie and Paul McCartney. Think this is the only single they released together but a stinker that should count against both artists

Jazz Police rules!!!

They improvise inside of my head

The Stranglers (feat. George Melly) - "Old Codger". Vying with "Tits" as the most unlistenable piece of shite in their entire catalogue.

The first Lou Reed song I ever heard (on MTV, no less) was "I Love You, Suzanne"... not the worst song in the world, I guess, but also not exactly representative of his appeal (as I would later come to know it).

― Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Wayne Manor (morrisp),

He's always written these throwaway pop songs, often more quietly subversive than the overtly transgressive ones.

The drums are too loud in the mix!

Symptom of the times: an engineer who didn't know how to record the big drum sound. New Sensation is my favorite of his solo albums. I'd know what Lou Reed was capable of as a writer from this album.

Seger had at least as many duds as he had classics. For every "Night Moves," there is a "Like a Rock." Ugh.

immortalized by a car commercial

but see I can still listen to 'Like a Rock' and go 'ok corny but aight', "Old Time Rock 'n Roll" is like the musical equivalent of those Youtube comments saying "now this was REAL music"

Seger has many good hits. It was his birthday last weekend.

i love most of his 70s material, need to acquire more of his albums though

Old time r&r always gets performed by tom cruise in underpants too

Don't even get me started on "Turn the Page."

All of these songs with "rock" in the title are reminding me to nominate Paul Simon for "I Am a Rock."

I see someone has already mentioned "Everybody Hurts," which ruined REM for me for decades.

let me take you to hell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CozoPjQ_sH0

Directed by Peter Bonerz

I see someone has already mentioned "Everybody Hurts," which ruined REM for me for decades.

― Lily Dale, Wednesday, May 10, 2023 8:43 PM (three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglin

I agreed for 20 years until I admired the restraint of the mix and how food the strings sound

yeah relistening to it recently after many years i'm kind of amazed by it tbh

it strikes me as weird and audacious now

Pet Shop Boys - Winner. Still don't know what they were going for there.

Dullsville.

The strings, they sound food

They taste like pizza.

we should do a "don't kill yourself plz" pop song poll

a lot of my fav pop songs would fit in that poll.

like "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"

Are we talking like, Collective soul - the world I know? Or is it just the video?

That third eye blind one too?

what's recent one by khalid or someone? 1 900 suicide?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb24RrHIbFk

I have a lot of time for latter-day "bad" Can but there really is no worse song in the world than "Can Can"

I could be wrong but Joni Mitchell never really got BAD, as far as I'm concerned, just sometimes.. tedious? Except "Sex Kills", what a goddamn terrible fucking song. I could type a defence of "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines", but not "Sex Kills"

I'd call "Dancin' Clown" her nadir.

...and Lou Reed's "Mama's Got a Lover".

"Dancin' Clown," "Laughing Gnome"

I admire the electronic rhythm of "Sex Kills" *shrugs*

And that bass

R.E.M.'s worst is "A Month of Saturdays" from their final compilation album, a truly pathetic attempt to turn the clock back to 1980.

Bowie's worst is his cover of "God Only Knows".

...but none of these that I've named qualify as "worst songs in history".

That one does.